Pleasure-railway.



PATENTBD PEB. 26, 1907.

W. JL 01mm PLEASURE RAILWAY. APPLICATION FILED 6cm. 190e'.

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No. 845,524. PATENTBD FEB. 26, 1907 v w. J'. CITRQN. PLEASURE RAILWAY.

APPLICATION IILED 00T.1, 1906. y 3 SHEETS-.SHEET 2. I

No. 845,524. PATENTED FEB. 26, 1907.A l W. J. CITRON.

PLEASURE RAILWAY. PrL'IoATIoN FILED oom. 1906. 1

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TrnrTEn sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

WILLIAM J. CITRON, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO SCENICNOVELTY COMPANY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OFCALIFORNIA.

PLEASURE-RAILWAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. ze, 1907.

Application filed October 1, 1906. Serial No. 336,911.

To LM whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. CITRON, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of San Francisco and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in PleasureRailways, of which the following is a specilication.

My invention relates to pleasure-railways, and especially to a form ofamusement apparatus in which a car mount-ed on a stationary platform ismade to vibrate in simulation of travel over a railway-track, butWithout'actually advancing the car, by means of moving pictures oneither traveling or stationary screens, a pleasing, instructive, anddelightful illusion of travel 1s produced in the minds of the occupantsof the car.

The object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improvedmeans for supporting and rocking the car in such a way that it will haveapparently the same easy,

sprlngy, sensitive, and more or less continuous vibrating motion of aPullman; to provide means for producing a rumbling sound and imparting avibration to the car independent ot the rocking means, and to providemeans at the sides of the car whereby in the starting of the machineryof the car in motion the effect is given of pu-lling slowly out of astation, these side illusions being generally independent of thepictorial illusions experienced as the trip progresses.

The invention consists of the parts and the construction and combinationof parts, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, havingreference to the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure l is a sideelevation of the car in partial section, certain p'arts being omitted.Fig. 2 is a front end view of the saine. Fig. 3 is a plan view of thesame.

A represents a car or vehicle of any suitable size, shape, ordescription, and provided with seats for spectators. I speak of it as acar because it is used in presenting the illusion of taking a railwayjourney.A This car is open at the front and sides, and arranged withinthe field of vision from the car arethe respective front and sidescreens 2 3, upon which movable pictures of one description or anotherare adapted to be projected or displayed for the purpose of producingthe effect of traveling rapidly, the scenes which are portrayed on thescreens being appropriate to the section through which a trip ispresumed to be taken. This car is partly supported on an underneathrigid stationary bar or timber 4, which. is arranged centrally andlongitudinally of the car and which is here shown as resting on theblocks 5. The car is also partly supported by means of the cushions orsprings 6, which are arranged on each side of the central rigid support4. These cushions or springs 6 may be of any construction or designsuitable for the purpose, and they are of sufficient stiffness tosupport the car properly when the latter is filled, and at the same timethey have sufficient spring so that by rocking the car they will givethat lateral oscillatory movement to the car which is eculiar toordinary car-bodies on their trucks.

The function of the central support 4 is to relieve the springs of toomuch Weight and also to regulate the action of the springs to producethe proper lateral oscillatory movement. If it was not for the centralsupport 4 the ear would be tipping in all directions on the springs anddetract from the illusive effect. Secured to the under side of the bar4, are a series of brackets 7, each carrying a pair of rollers 8, theseveral rollers being arranged in line and each pair contacting with alarger roller 9, suitably journaled in a fixed part on the foundation.'Ihe shafts of these several rollers 9 carry sprockets around which thedrive-chains l() pass to rotate the shafts and rollers. Power to rotatethe latter is derived from any suitable source, as the motor l1. Thefunction of the several rollers 9 10 is to create an obvious rumblingsound of vibration which is transmitted to the car-body in simulation ofthe passage of the trucks of a railway-carriage along the track-rails.The amount of the vibration in the car caused by the Contact of therollers 9 8 is variable according to the pressure of the rollers 8 onthe rollers 9, and this pressure may be regulated by using longer orshorter blocks 5 to support the bar 4. The amount of vibration, however,from this source need not be very great, and it is desirable for reasonof economy of power that the contact of the several rollers be notgreater than is absolutely necessary.

Any suitable means may be employed to control the oscillating movementof the car on the springs 6. As here shown, I employ IOO a rock-shaft12, extending lengthwise of the car and having rigid arms 12 on it,which arms are connected by the links 13 with the car-body. A11operating-lever 14 is fixed securely to the shaft 12 and extends up intothe car within convenient reach of the operator, whereby he can givemore or less side shake to the car according as the scenes portrayedupon the screen or the assumed condition of the road-bed would appear towarrant, or he can give a continuous easy lateral vibration to the carsuch as is experienced in actual travel by the contact of the car-wheeliianges first with one rail and then the other.

By means of the springs and levers and the central supporting-fulcrumbar the sensation of actual travel is realistically duplicated.

ln order to produce an illusion in addition to that afforded by theprojection of pictures on the front and side screens 2 8 after thejourney has actually begun, I have devised a means whereby on thestarting of the motor and rollers 'in motion an impression will be givenof slowly moving out of the station. This illusion is produced by meansof a pair of side curtains 15, arranged contiguous to the windows oneach side of the car and painted in simulation of the interior of astation or the like. These curtains 15 are drawn down parallel with theAlength of the car, and before the car starts and while the oar isfilling with passengers the curtains 15 obstruct the entire view of thescenes 3 beyond. As the machinery is started suitable mechanism is setin operation which draws these curtains 15 backward, giving the effectof movement outward from the station. This mechanism for operating thecurtains 15 is preferably connected with and controlled by the meanswhich produce the rumbling sound underneath thecar.

A convenient arrangement for operating the curtains 15 is shown asfollows: rl`he shaft 16 of the rearmost roller 9 extends out to eachside of the car and carries at each end the fast and loose pulleys 1718. From shaft 16 motion is transmitted when required to the alinedcounter-shafts 19 by the belts 20, which pass around respective of thepulleys 17 18 and the broad-faced pulleys 21 on shafts 19. Suitablebelt-shifters 22 are adapted to act on the belts 20 to shift both beltssimultaneously from the loose pulleys 17 to the fast pulleys 18, andvice versa. These belt-shifters are here shown as pivoted at 22 andconnected together by a rod 23. One of them has a handle 24, extendinginside the car within reach of the operator.

The curtains 15 are mounted to run on tracks 25, which extend atfrontand back and around the rear ends of the side screens 3 thecurtains being shown as having thel top and bottom hooks 26 to engagethe tracksv to properly stretch and support the curtains. 27 are rollersat the rear end of the side screens around which the curtains 15 pass.

The rear end of each curtain or what is the rear end when the curtainsare drawn forward to shut out theview of the side screens passes aroundthe rollers 27 and is attached to pull-cord 28, which runs forwardaround a direction pulley 29 and then downward around another directionpulley 30, back to a spool or drum 31 on a respective shaft 19.

When the car is stationary and filling with peo le, the curtains 15 aredrawn forward at tie sides of the car and in front of the screens 3.Being suitably painted the curtains 15 present the appearance of theinterior of the station.

As soon as the motor is started and the rumble of the wheels 8 9 isheard the operator throws the handle 24 to shift the belts 20simultaneously from their normal position on the loose pulleys 17 ontothe fast pulleys 18. rlhis shifting of the belts immediately sets theshafts 19 and drums 31 in motion to wind up the cords or cables 28 andpull the curtains 15 from in front of the screens 8 around back of thelatter. How ever, as the front end of the curtains 15 come abreast ofthe rear of the car and uncover the entire area of the screens 8 to viewthe belts 2() are again shifted onto the loose pulleys 17 to allow thecurtains to come to rest. This stoppage of the curtains 15 is preferablydone automatically. As here shown, one curtain has attached toit, nearits front end and bottom edge, a wedge or cam 32, which is adapted toengage one of the shifters 22, suit-ably arranged in the path of thecam, rock the shifters, and consequently throw both belts out of action.This gradual retrograde movement of the depot curtains 15 is succeededby a series of illuminated scenes on the side and front screens 2 3,giving a most realistic effect of entry on a journey. The resentinvention has nothing to do with t e scenes or illusions presented onthe screens 2 3.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. In a pleasure apparatus, a stationary car mounted for oscillation ona spring-support, means to oscillate the car, and means to create arumbling sound and vibration in the car like travel over a roadwaywithout advancing the car.

2. A spring-supported vehicle open at the sides, means to rock thevehicle, draw-curtainsat the sides of the vehicle, mechanism to create arumbling sound like travel over a railway-track, and connections betweensaid mechanism and said draw-curtains to operate the latter.

3. A car partly mounted on a stationary IOO IOS

support and partly mounted on springs, and means to control theoscillation of the car on said springs and support.

4. A vehicle supported at'each side of its center on underneath springsand centrally fu-lcruming on a relatively unyielding support. o

5. A vehicle supported at each side of its center on underneath springsand centrally fulcruming on a relatively unyielding support, and meansto rock said vehicle on said ulcrum.

6. A car mounted tor oscillation on an underneath central support,cushion means supporting the car on each side of said central support,and means extending inside the car to control the oscillations of thecar.

7. A car mounted to fulcrum centrally on a stationary support, springssupporting the car on each' side of said central support, rollerscarried by said central support and contacting With other rollers, andmeans to revolve the rollers to create a rumbling sound l like thetravel of Wheels over a track.

8. The combination With a vehicle open at the sides, mechanismunderneath the car to create a rumbling sound and vibration insimulation of travel, normally stationary draw-curtains at the sides ofthe cars, and means for operating said curtains by said mechanismunderneath the car.

9. The combination With a car open at the sides, draw-curtains at thesides of the car, rollers underneath the car to create a rumbling soundin simulation of travel, means to revolve said rollers, connectionsbetween said curtains and rollers to operate the curtains, and means forautomatically disrupting said connections on the Withdrawal of saidcurtains.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my han-d in presence of t-Wosubscribing Witnesses.

WILLIAM J. orTRoN.

